Folding device.



i. R: MOFFATT.

FOLDING DEVICE.

APPUCATION FILED APR. 6. 1914.

:i 291 @?5 Pafmiefl Jan. H, 1912 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

8 mum dye I. R. [VIOFFATT- FOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AFR.6. 19m

1,291,075. Patented Jan.14,1919.

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' those filed by me of even date herewith, se. i

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. MOFFA'IT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOB TO -UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOLDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented an. 14, 1919.

Application filed April 6, 1914. Serial No. 829,911.

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Devices, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The present application is acompanion to rially numbered 829,912 and 829,913 and entitled respectively Sewing machine and foldin mechanism therefor and Sewing machme and trimming mechanism therefor.

In those applications I have illustrated a. special type of sewing machine wherein the material is fed by two feeding disks andoverseamed by suitable stitch forming mechfolder and trimmer adapted for the forma tion of trousers belt loops in the making of which narrow strips of material are folded with a crimped central portion, the raw edges are trimmed and forced together so that their edges meet, and are then overseamed by stitching of which the through 'and through stitches pass through both folded edges and catch into the crimped part of the body portion so that the raw edges are covered and united together and to the body portion and no stitches will appear on the right face of the belt loop when finished.

Inasmuch .as the particular folding device devised by me may be used on other types of sewing machines than that for which it was especially designed and possesses features of novelty applicableto folding devices enerally, the present application for the foldlng device per se is filed.

The invention, therefore, consists among other things of a folding device having means to fold a fabric and means to initially feed the fabric forward.

It also consists in a folding device having means to fold a fabric and means which aid in positionin the material in the folder and also in initia ly feeding it forward through the folder, until engaged b the feeding mechanism of the sewing mac ine.

The invention also consists in various other matters hereinafter described and referred to in the appended claims.

For convenience, I have illustrated my folding device as used in cooperative relation to a cup feed overseaming machine of the type above referred to having a horizontal needle, but it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to its application to this type of machine, or this type of needle, nor to the vertical arrangement of the folder wings, as all may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which F'gure 1 is-a perspective View of a portion of a cup-feed machine, showing my folder applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the folding device and cup-.feed;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the folder: Fig.4 is a longitudinal section of the same through the center of Fig. 2, with the movable member of the folder swung vertically to allow insertion of the material;

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the folder in position and the movable member retractedto initially position the material;

Fig. 6 is a similar view with the folder in operative position.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views representing the formation of blind stitched and tubular strips, respectively.

In these drawings, 1 represents a portion of the casing of a cup feed machine of the type referredto, having the twocup feeding disks 2, 2. The needle is shown at 3, the looper at 4, the deflector for both needle and looper thread loops at 5, the support for holding upthe edge of the fabric at 6, the stitch finger at 7, the plate having the needle guiding groove at 8, the needle thread guides at 9, and the looper thread guides at 10. All these parts are of the usual construction, and need not be more specifically referred to. A supporting bracket 11 adjustably supported on the frame of the machine by the elongated slot and screw connection 12, is divided at its lower end, and has secured to it a part 13, and slot and screw connection 12 is made with the machine frame. The part 13 supports the folder and tri1nmer.-

The folder has a stationary base 14 adjustably secured to the part 13, the o enings for the screws being shown at 15. he stationary base carries the stationary side wings 16 and central fin 17. These wings extend well in, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 at 34, and attached to the outside of the wide wings by screws 18, are spring fingers .19. The mov able part of the folder is composed of a bar 20 formed with an arm 21 and. a yoke piece 23 pivoted at 24 to the base 14. A spring 25- secured by screws 22 to the yoke piece and adapted to be enga ed by a pivoted latch 26, normall holds the ar 20 from being swung upward y.

This bar 20 carries a slidable sleeve .27, to which is attached the two spaced fingers 28, which when swung down in position, straddle the central fin 17 and cooperate therewith, and with the side wings 16 to properly fold the'material as it is fed to the cups. The forward ends of the fingers 28 are toothed, as at 29, to engage the material and push it into the cups as the sleeve 27 is slid forward on the bar 20, and the inner faces of the spring fingers 19 have teeth 30 to prevent the withdrawal of the material. The spring fingers 19 also accommodate different thicknesses of material, and extend beyond the ledger blades 32 of the trimmer, as hereinafter described. A stop pin 47 limits the movement of the sleeve 27.

The operation of the folder is as follows:

The latch 26 is released and the bar 20 with the sliding sleeve and fingers 28 swung upwardly; the goods are then placed in position across the stationary wings and fin of the folder, and the movable part swung down, so that the spaced fingers will straddle the fin and form the fold in the fabric. Beforereturning the part to its normal position, the sleeve is moved'rearwardly, and

when the lowered osition is reached, the slide 27 is shifted a ong the bar 20, to push the material into the-cups, so they will take hold of the same. Occasionally this movement is not enough to shift the material a sufficient distance to permit the cuts to act thereon. It is, therefore, necessary to return the sleeve for a short distance and repeat the operation, the teeth 30 at the end of the spring fingers 19 gripping the material and preventing it from being pulled back with the return movement of the sleeve 27. w 7 i It will thus be seen that the movable part not only cooperates with the stationary part to fold the material to proper shape to have the edges overseamed, but also enables the operative to initially position the material between the cups. The bodily vertical adjustment of this folding device through the slot and screw adjustment 12, enables the bite of the needle into the goods to be varied, so thatit may either engage the ortion of the fabric which is pressed up from the center by the fin 17 cooperating with the spaced fingers 28, thus overseaming the edges and uniting them to the body fabric at the center, as in F ig. 7, or simply uniting .zontal trimming blade 31, which r 8, making. a tube.

A gage 35 composed of a suitably graduated nut bears on the. ledge 36 formed on the vertical part of the bracket 11, and by manipulating the same, the precise adjustment desired may be secured.

i In connection with this folder, I have devised a trimming device including gloriiprocatesback and forth and acts in connection with stationary ledgerblades 32 which form extension of the side wings 16 to trim off the surplus material, the trimming mechanism as a whole being supported on the same bracket as the folder, and partaking of the adjustments of the latter. It also has a deber, a member slidable on said pivoted mem her and carrying wings for cooperation with the wings in the folder to fold the material and initially feed it forward.

2. In a folding device, means to fold a fabric, and a manually operated cooperating device acting on one face of said fabric to first position the same in said folder andsubsequently feed it forward.

3. A folding device for sewing machines,

including a stationary part having folding projections, and a vertically movable part having devices cooperating with the folding projections to properly fold the fabric, said vertically movable part being arranged also to permit a horizontal movement to initially 4 position the goods.

4. A folding device for sewing machines comprising a stationary base portion having fwings thereon, a cooperating finger portion movable laterally toward and from said wings to complete the fold invthe fabric and also movable in a direction lengthwise of the folding device to feed the fabric forward.

5-. A folding device for sewing machines comprising a stationary base portion having wings thereon, a cooperating finger portion movable laterally toward and from said wings to complete the fold in the fabric and also movable in a direction len hwise of the folding device to feed the abric forward, said finger portion having teeth thereon to enga e the fabric."

6. A folding device for sewing machines, comprising a stationary base portion having wings thereon, a horizontally slidable oooperating finger portion adapted to complete the fold in the fabric and feed it forward to initial position, said horizontally therewith to fold the strip into a fabric, and toothed spring portions extend-- ing in rear'of the stationary wings to engage and hold the material against displacement.

7. A folding device for sewing machines, comprising stationary wings, a member pivoted to'swing vertically, a member slidable on said pivoted member. and carrying wings cooperating with the stationary wings to fold the material.

8. A folding device for sewing machines, comprising stationary wings, a member pivoted to swing vertically, a member slidable on said pivoted member and carrying wings cooperating with the stationary wings to fold the material, and a latch for holding said pivoted member in normal position.

9. A folding device for folding narrow strips of material, comprising spaced Stationary projecting wings and an intermediate crimping fin, and a cooperating movable folding member adapted to engage and crimp and fold the material, and means permitting it to be moved longitudinally to initially feed the material.

10. A,f0lding device for folding narrow strips of material, "comprisin spaced stationary projecting wings, an an intermediate crimping rib with means cooperating therewith to fold the strip into a W-formation with the opposite edges higher than the central crimped portion, said crimping rib being arranged to crimp the material in a line which will be crossed by the needle of the sewing machine to which folding device is to be applied.

11. A folding device for folding narrow strips of material, comprising spaced stationary projecting wings, and an intermediate crimping ri with means 006 erating -formaof the strip together, whereby the needle will enter the edges and crimped portion.

12. A folding device for sewing machines comprising a stationary base portion havin wings thereon, a pivoted horizontally sli able cooperating wing portion to complete the fold in the fabric and to feed it forward to initial position, with a stop for limiting themovement ofsaid slidable portion.

13. A folding device for sewing machines comprising stationary wings, a member pivoted to swing vertically, a member slidable on said pivoted member and carrying wings coo erating with the stationary wings to fol the material, and a stop on said pivoted member for limiting the movement of said slidable member;

14:. The combination with a feeding mechnism, of a folder operating upon a strip to fold the same as it is drawn through the folder by the feeding mechanism, said folder havin a movable section which may be move away from the other part of the folder to permit the insertion of the strip,-

said movable section of the folder being movable lengthwise of the folder for initially positioning the strip forengagement.

by said feeding mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. MOFFATT. Witnesses:

J. C. LATNER, A. C. ABEL. 

